Undying Requiem
by lyricalxxlies
Summary: When White encounters N, the two discover that there are still legends that await them within three glimmering orbs. Will she survive the persistent Cheren, various plotting evils, and the vague misgivings of N long enough to finish this new adventure?
1. Adventure Ensues

_(A WHITE x N FANFICTION)_

**"Undying Requiem"**

x-x

I was running. You could say it was sort of a... relay for life. Except in literal terms. I felt teeth snapping behind me; open jaws waiting to swallow my flesh and bone. My chest rose and fell at an abnormal rate as I began to wheeze. Still, I refused to slow my pace. The woods were alive as I lightly sprung upon the sodden spring leaves with each step. Courage swelled inside me as I began to sprint even faster, anxious to be far away from the beasts behind.

And suddenly... my body made contact with another, and I rolled to the ground in a tangled mess with a familiar green-haired boy.

"Oh!" I gasped as I clumsily heaved myself back up, brushing the dirt off my shorts. "What are you doing here, N?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, White." N brushed himself off as well. Was it just my nerves, or was there a bit of an uncanny edge to his voice? His eyes avoided mine, darting side to side in an apprehensive way.

Remembering what I had been running from in alarm, I turned around to find the nightmare-induced enemies gone.

"Impossible." I muttered under my breath, turning back to N. He had a wry half-smile plastered to his face.

"The shadows," he smirked, pointing to the ground, "that's where they've gone. And they weren't going to hurt you," he added with an exasperated sigh, "they wanted to lead you to me. But they weren't supposed to frighten you, or arrive here so fast..." Oh. That explained the previous biting remark. It wasn't hostility towards me at all. Still, I shot him a puzzled look.

"To you...? Why...?" Another battle? But we hadn't battled in ages. I hadn't even seen him since Team Plasma had dispersed. As he was once their king, I would expect N to have vanished completely, too. "And since when does the Shadow Triad travel as beastly Stoutland-like creatures?"

"Since you've become increasingly difficult to find..." He murmured, lost in thought. When did he ever attempt to find me, anyway? "But that's beside the point, hmm? I brought you here for a reason... I need to ask a favor of you."

"What?" Again, I was completely dumbfounded.

"Have you ever heard tales spoken of any other legendary Pokemon in Unova?" N inquired.

"No... except... maybe..." I pulled out three brilliantly shining orbs I had been given long ago. "Do these have anything to do with what you're looking for? Your father... he gave them to me through the Shadow Triad... in human form. I spoke to Professor Juniper and she believes they are linked somehow to legendary Pokemon of another region."

N's eyes widened in delight as gazed at the stones. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! These are what I've been looking for!" Enveloped in joy, he pulled me into a tight hug. Realizing his mistake, he quickly let go as I felt my cheeks begin to burn in a slight blush.

"But what did you want?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "Are these it?" He gazed at the stones as they glimmered in the moonlight.

"I wish to find these... legendary Pokemon. As you know, my ideals have changed... but I still do not wish to capture them. I only want to speak with them; to witness their immense power and enticing beauty. And... I'd like you to join me. I know your strength well. I believe that with your help, we could find them." His voice was firm and sincere as his smoldering green eyes met mine. "And so I ask of you... White, will you accompany me in finding these creatures of wonder?" N appealed with a slight smile.

I blinked, stunned. Sure, he had 'changed,' but was it entirely safe to travel great distances with him? Then again, he had never been rude or violent towards me in any way. I supposed there was no real harm in going with N. After all, it would be a new adventure – exactly what I needed after about a year and a half of training and an overall bleak lifestyle. And I was sure Shav, my Samurott, would love to stretch his legs in new terrain.

"I'm in!" I smiled back giddily as I mentally sorted out what I would need to take, leave behind, and buy for our journey. N seemed equally delighted.

"Great! I'll meet you in the outskirts of Nimbasa City tomorrow at dawn." At my frown, he quickly added, "I realize it doesn't leave you much time to prepare, but I wish to leave as quickly as possible. For now, I bid you farewell." With that, he was gone – a swift back flip into the trees and I lost sight of him. I pulled out my Unfezant's Pokeball, muttering in frustration at N's sudden disappearance act as I released her. She chirped happily as I patted her atop the head.

"How are you, Choco? Did you know we're going on a journey?" At this, Choco squawked excitedly, jumping up and down while fanning out her wings. "Well, I'm going to need you to fly me to Nimbasa City as quickly as possible. Could you do that for me?" She chirped, determined.

"Good, good. Let's go!" I hopped onto her back as we flew off into the night sky. Flying to towns was so exhilarating... and at the same time, relaxing. Before I knew it, we had arrived. "Thanks, Choco!" I patted her head again gratefully before putting her away to rest for the night. Before I could reach the nearest Pokemon center, I was stopped by a call.

"HEY!" Cheren's voice boomed from the distance. Just lovely. I really hoped this wasn't about a battle. Again. I groaned under my breath. "Hey! How are you?" He huffed once he had reached me, his hand clutching his knees.

"Fine," I replied brusquely. "You?" He seemed to have regained his ability to breathe again, thankfully.

"Really good. Great, actually. But this isn't about me. Where have you been? I was walking in the forest when I thought I heard your voice. And... another familiar one. But I got confused because it sounded like you were in trouble before... so I came... and..." He broke off, genuinely troubled.

_Crap._ Hopefully he wouldn't realize it was N's voice. I didn't want anyone knowing I would be traveling with a boy... especially mom. Oh man, mom would have a fit. I may be older now, I may have become the Champion, I may have saved trainers and Pokemon everywhere, but none of that would matter much to mom.

"So whose voice was it?" Cheren asked unknowingly.

"No one," I snapped a bit too harshly as I saw his eyes widen a little. Oops. "I mean... you must have just been hearing things, Cheren."

"But I swear I saw you with a guy..." He stopped himself short, then laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Anyways... what I was going to ask you is... would you like to participate in a battle train tournament with me? Or maybe watch a musical...? I would like to watch a musical." He blushed, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. I admit, he's attractive... but I've just never felt that way with him. Recently, he had been friendlier and friendlier instead of his usual ambitious rampages, challenging me to more and more "battles," though he hadn't been using his full force – I'm pretty sure he'd been letting me win. Or at least, he thought he was. It wasn't like I had any trouble defeating him before.

"Cheren... I'm sorry, but I have something to do tomorrow. Maybe some other time?" His gazed dropped sadly.

"Yeah... some other time. But what do you have to do tomorrow anyways? No offense, but it isn't like you to be very busy anymore." Ugh. He had me again.

"Just... important things to take care of."

"Are you sure it wasn't that guy?" Cheren stroked his chin, lost in thought. "Oh! I remember now. His name... it's N. I remember now! Wasn't he the king of Team Plasma? Wait... why would you be talking to a guy like that... in the woods... at night?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you even dare think like that." I replied hotly. "He only wanted to talk. It's a long story." Knowing that my answer wouldn't satisfy him, I braced myself for even more questions.

"Wait... is that what you have to do tomorrow?" Cheren asked in dismay. "What are you two doing?"

I sighed in defeat. "We're going to search for legendary Pokemon of another region… to put it as bluntly and, I suppose, childishly as possible."

"What?" He exclaimed. "Can't I come? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know about it until I met with N. And I'm really sorry, Cheren... but I don't think he'd appreciate me inviting you without consulting him first." N never really did like Cheren much, anyway. I wondered why – I never really had a problem with him personally until he started acting like a nuisance, constantly wanting to spend time with me... as a couple. It was extremely unlike him, and I consistently detested it. Cheren sighed.

"Fine. Whatever. I'll see if I can locate and catch them myself, then!" He exclaimed excitedly, to my dismay. "Before you two can. A sort of race. Ha! That'll get under N's skin for sure. Well, goodbye White! Rain check for my date?" Cheren shouted as he walked further and further away. He didn't wait for my reply.

"Sure." I muttered bitterly as I watched him disappear in the distance. I seriously could not believe he had referred to his lame attempt at romance a date, especially after he had blatantly belittled N's idea of searching for legendary Pokemon, dismissing it as a task easy enough for one person. Whatever. I needed to prepare myself both mentally and physically for tomorrow. Tomorrow I would meet N at dawn.

Tomorrow another long-awaited adventure would finally ensue.


	2. Beware of Silent Dogs & Still Waters

**{. AUTHOR'S NOTE: **_Thanks for the reviews! If you like the story so far, please make sure to read on. c: I'm really excited to finally be finishing this fic. I started it about a year ago on my deviantART account but didn't ever have the time or inspiration needed to finish it. But now I can't stop writing this, haha! x") Oh, and I'm sorry if the fact that the chapters are broken into little segments bothers anyone, but I thought that it was the best way to make it flow better without having overly-awkward transitions. ^_^;_

* * *

><p>The sun's burnt orange glow greeted me as my eyes opened into small slits. I groaned in dismay when I realized dawn had come already. The night before I had collapsed into a tired fit at the edge of town, opting to rest under the stars instead of in the crowded health center.<p>

Worry had invaded my head, resulting in a little amount of sleep. As I got up now, I was seriously beginning to regret allowing my thoughts to have kept me awake. I sighed heavily, stretching my arms to the sun-streaked sky.

A tiny Patrat was curled upon a tree branch way above me, lightly snoring as its pelt fluffed up in the breeze. Smiling at its deceitfully adorable appearance, I began my trek towards the outskirts of the city.

x-x

N gave me a slight frown as I approached him. "You don't look well rested."

I shook my head. I knew my hair was a tangled mess (I quickly threw it into a ponytail after gawking at my appearance by a riverbed earlier), my face was flushed, and I had small bruises and cuts from the day before. Not to mention a badly scraped knee from our collision. There was no real need to explain myself, so I kept silent as he went on.

"We're going to set off anyways," he shrugged, "though I'm sure you'll be fine."

"So... where are we going, exactly?" I asked a little too eagerly, bouncing on the soles of my shoes. I hadn't the slightest idea where he planned to journey to first.

"A small village named Redwood." His lips curled into a smile. "It's in a secluded area northeast of here, but there is a modern path to it, thankfully."

"What are we going to do there? Is it just the first rest stop, or...?"

"Its people are familiar with the legendary tale." His gaze bore into mine. "They pass the story from generation to generation. Surely they would be able to give us more information? "

A chill went down my spine. Something about his dark gaze and the tone of his voice made me shiver. It was just so... odd. He had an alluring way of speaking, almost as if he was attempting to hypnotize the listener. I quickly shrugged off the feeling of discomfort and started walking, picking a random direction in my haste. "Alright, let's go then!"

"Ah, White?" N called, still standing in the same spot.

"What?"

"You're going the wrong way." He smirked.

x-x

The wind carried the red and yellow leaves in a beautiful dance above our heads as we walked into a quite woodland area. Patrats hungrily scavenged the forest floor for berries. Pidoves flew along with the wind and leaves, twirling and turning delicately. Their small wings fluttered a bit as they delicately carved their way through the sky, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling at their beauty.

One of them cawed excitedly and broke formation to fly towards me. It landed lightly on my arm, brushing its head against my cheek.

N glanced over and smiled. Gingerly, he reached out a hand to pat my new feathered friend on the head. It chirped happily before flying off.

"That was... interesting." I murmured.

"Well... the direction they're heading is the same route we have to take. Funny," he chuckled, "It's as if they plan to show us the way."

"Yeah," I stared at the sky as the Pidoves flew on. "Odd..."

We continued on in silent awe due to the fact that there was so much to see - pebble-stoned rivers, enormous waterfalls, quiet meadows... eventually, however, we reached our destination.

Trees lined the gravel pathway we walked upon. A clearing could be seen in the distance, beckoning us with a dense yellow light. Old buildings loomed over the mountainside.

"I think we're here."

x-x

The sun was beginning to sink low in the horizon as N and I walked into the village. Streaks of yellow, pink, and red tainted the blue sky, warning us to find a rest stop soon. Despite the hour, the village was bustling with people. Their faces were bright and cheerful, and an aura of tranquility hung in the air.

I smiled as a small boy tripped while kicking a ball to a little girl. He kicked it too far, however, and I watched as it rolled right up to N's shoes. He stood stiffly as the boy went to retrieve it.

"Thanks, mister! You stopped it just in time." With a smile and wave, he and the girl ran off into the bustling crowd of villagers.

N stayed still and silent, his expression unreadable.

"What's with you?" I asked, thoroughly surprised at his odd reaction.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Let's just find the house we came here for."

x-x

In the center of the village stood an immense, ancient-looking building. It towered over the others, signifying its own importance. A sign was placed before the door: "DANGER. KEEP OUT UNLESS AUTHORIZATION."

"Huh... that's strange." I said as N and I gazed over the building.

"Perhaps it's too old to be safe?" N suggested. I shrugged, not knowing the answer and much too tired to care at the moment.

We continued walking through the crowds until we reached a small cottage.

Yet another sign was placed by a door - this one had "Elder Crecil's House" written on it, with various stars and abstract shapes around the text.

"Well, I hope this is the place..." N knocked on the front door. A frail-looking woman of many years opened it. Though her body and expression bore the marks of a tiresome lifetime, her eyes were shimmering pools of wisdom.

"Hello, young ones. I am Crecil. What would you like?" Crecil smiled brightly.

"It's going to take a while to explain..." I grimaced.

Crecil was silent for a moment, her eyes darting back and forth between N and me.

"Alright then," she finally sighed, "come inside."

x-x

Crecil's house was relatively simple - just a small brown rug, a table, and old wooden floors. She sat down on the rug and motioned for us to do the same.

"I know why you're here." She smiled. "You wish to hear the legends, do you not?"

I was tempted to tell her that we already knew the basics of the legend, so we could skip the prolonged tales for now... but she went on before I could speak.

"But alas, you already know! Otherwise, why would you be here?" She cackled softly to herself. The breath of the wind carries ancient stories through the heaviest rains... thus creating a legend. Though, if you ask me," her eyes glinted mischievously, "This one is of much greater importance than others. Not a work of fiction, as some may say. And with that..." She smiled as she slowly stood up. I glanced over at N as her gave me a tiny nod. We stood up with her. "I have something to show you. The scrolls of legend lie here with me."

She pulled out two scrolls from a drawer in the table, handing a navy blue one to N. "This scroll contains a map. And this one has secrets within it that may help you. But, alas... there are many scrolls in my drawer. If I have been mistaken in the correct map's whereabouts, then come back hastily!" She smiled warmly.

"Thank you so much for your help!" I smiled at Crecil.

N grinned like a child who had just received a pound of candy and began walking out the door. "Yes, thank you!" His call could be heard from outside already. "Coming, White?"

I sighed and shook my head at his impatience, glancing at Crecil, who was cackling again - clearly, she was amused. But suddenly, she looked stricken, her face a powdered pale. In a split second, her whole mood had changed.

"What happened...?" I wondered aloud.

"Child, listen to me..." Crecil grabbed my shoulders. "Beware of danger in him. I sense an obscure spirit lurking around his presence. You must be careful."

I fought the urge to raise an eyebrow, skeptical of her warning. But I nodded politely in response. No need to be disrespectful, I suppose... especially since she'd helped us so much already.

And with that, I set off again. "Goodbye! Thank you for everything!" I called as I walked down another gravel pathway to catch up with N.

"Goodbye!" Crecil waved from her doorway. "And heed my warning..." She had a grave look on her face, shuddering as she spoke.

Oh boy. This was going to be a _long_ journey.


End file.
